The present invention relates to slot machines of the type having a plurality of reels caused to rotate by pulse motors and, in particular, to slot machines of the type in which a plurality of reels are brought to a stop by pushing stopswitches respectively associated therewith.
In conventional slot machines, a plurality of reels rotatably arranged side by side are caused to rotate and to stop by a kick lever and stop levers associated therewith, respectively. At the outset, a handle is pulled to disengage the stop levers from one of the notches or projections in a row on a dividing disc fixed to the side surface of the respective reel, and then to engage the kick lever with one of the notches or projections. At the end of the pulling of the handle, the kick lever is released so as to disengage from the dividing disc under the force of a spring. At this time, owing to a rapid movement of the kick lever in a tangential direction of the dividing disc, rotation of the dividing disc, and hence the reel, is caused. Upon pushing stop buttons associated with the respective reels, the stop levers which had been kept out of the notches or projections of the respective dividing discs are again brought into engagement with those notches or projections under force of biassing springs, thereby to stop the respective reels. A slot machine of the type having three reels is provided with three stop buttons associated one with each of the reels, so as to stop the reels, individually, upon pushing the stop buttons. Such a slot machine of the type with a mechanical drive is not only very complicated in its structure, but also lacks sufficient rigidity in its structural elements such as the dividing discs, kick levers, stop levers and the like.
A slot machine of the type having pulse motors associated with the respective reels, which attempts to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages, is described in, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,722. The slot machine described therein is so constructed that, upon pulling a handle to cause switches to turn on, pulse motors associated with the respective reels start to rotate, causing the respective reels to rotate individually. After the proper lapses of time predetermined by random timer means, the respective reels are automatically individually stopped. The slot machines of the type having pulse motor drive are so designed that the drive pulses for the reels, the recognition of the various combinations of different symbols, and the paying out of coins as prizes, are electrically performed. This conduces to slot machines of small size and good durability. However, there is the disadvantage in this type of slot machine, that it is not possible to stop at random the respective reels.